Whisper it – alcohol-free wine has arrived in France.

In the vineyards of Bordeaux, the indescribable has become drinkable. Wine has come without wine.

Yesterday’s innovation is now – thanks to science and the economic crisis – today’s opportunity.

Wine estates that would rather burn their vines than face such a stigma are now openly considering bottle-free wine.

And developers are stepping up, creating wines that are deliberately designed to get the best out of the de-alcoholization process.

“When we started a few years ago, what we were making was frankly rubbish,” says Bordeaux winemaker Frédéric Brochet, who has helped create the Moderato range of alcohol-free wines.

“But we’ve made a lot of progress. And today we’re getting closer and closer to our goal. I think it’s going to be a revolution in the wine world.”

Bordeaux has just seen its debut. The cave – The Wine Shop – Dedicated entirely to non-alcoholic wines, reflecting a shift in perception that has surprised many in the industry.

“We only opened four weeks ago, and we already have wine growers from the area coming and asking about the non-alcoholic market,” says Alexandre Caitnia, who owns Les Belles Grapes with his wife Anne. are the owner.

“They don’t know anything about how to do it, but they can see it coming and want to be a part of it.”

Several things happened to make this moment auspicious.

First, the French wine world is in deep trouble. Domestic consumption continues to decline and the Chinese market is not what it used to be. The newly elected President of the United States, Donald Trump, is threatening new tariffs. Valuable ancient vineyards are being snapped up across France.

Second, consumption habits are changing, especially among young people. Supermarkets now give more space to beer than to wine. Most 20-somethings have never had an alcoholic drink — and they’re also much more health-conscious than their elders.

A non-alcoholic lifestyle is spreading. Currently 10% of the French beer market is non-alcoholic. In Spain it is 25 percent.

And third – technology has improved by leaps and bounds.

In the past – and still today for cheaper brands – the method has simply been to boil the alcohol and then add compensating flavors. The result – especially for reds – is modest at best. Such drinks may not even call themselves alcohol but “de-alcoholized wine-based drinks”.

Now though, there are new low-temperature vacuum distillation methods, and ways to “capture” the alcohol to put it back into the distilling liquor. The result is wine that can legitimately call itself wine, and is starting to take its place among discerning consumers.

“With reds, you need to be prepared for an experience that is not the same as a traditional wine with alcohol. We can’t pretend we can replicate the full mouthfeel,” Moderato’s Fabien. Marchand-Cassagne says.

“But what you get is a real wine moment. The bouquet, the tannins, the fruit, the balance – it’s all there to be enjoyed.”

At the Clos De Bouard estate near Saint-Émilion, fully a third of sales are now from the chateau’s two – soon to be three – non-alcoholic brands. Owner Coralie de Bord first glimpsed the possibilities when she was asked in 2019 to produce a non-alcoholic wine for the Qatari owners of PSG football club.

“My family wouldn’t talk to me for a year, it was my ‘betrayal’. And even today I get hateful messages from liquor sellers saying I’m ruining the market,” she says. she says.

“But now my father congratulates me and says I’m the engine of the alcohol train. And if we’re alive in these tough times today, it’s because we’ve moved into the alcohol market.”

“It was very difficult for purists to accept,” says winemaker Bernard Raboy of the Bordeaux Families Cooperative.

“But we have to be prepared. The reality is that the customers are not where they used to be. So we have to go and get them or they will go elsewhere.”

Promoters of alcohol-free wine often believe it allows non-drinkers – who previously felt excluded – to join the wine party. And it is true that the rituals of opening, smelling, describing and comparing are now open to all.

“What we want to do is try to bring back the France of our youth – when everyone was sitting around the dinner table drinking wine, and it was a real moment of sharing,” says Anne Kataneh.

“And the only way we’re going to be able to do that these days is if non-alcoholic beverages are part of the culture.”

“The idea that the wine world was always the same as it is now is rubbish,” says wineologist Brocht.

“Things evolve. Once upon a time, barrels were an innovation. Corks were an innovation; grape varieties were an innovation. And now this is a new thing — something that can help save the industry and the people that go with it.” The wonderful scenery and culture.

“Like [poet] Paul Valery said – What is tradition, but an innovation that succeeds?”